FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND CULTURE

Written by Joan Vila Pont - Published on the 15 March 2011

Freedom of speech is a right that everybody has to express his opinion, without censuring. And we understand freedom of the press as an extension of freedom of speech in any oral, written or printed media. But, does a real freedom of speech exist? I think that in practice it is rather difficult. The most worldwide important media are mostly under the influence of political, financial or religious powerful groups. For this reason, the ideas expressed by that media will be imposed to other that do not have the same diffusion opportunity.

Freedom of speech is a right that everybody has to express his opinion, without censuring. And we understand freedom of the press as an extension of freedom of speech in any oral, written or printed media. But, does a real freedom of speech exist? I think that in practice it is rather difficult. The most worldwide important media are mostly under the influence of political, financial or religious powerful groups. For this reason, the ideas expressed by that media will be imposed to other that do not have the same diffusion opportunity.

Freedom of speech is a right even if often get confused to the right to say whatever with a total lack of responsibility. According to my opinion it is neither acceptable nor admissible that massive media, making the most of their power and in the name of a misunderstood freedom of the press, manipulate things by abstraction, almost always negative, of the reality in order to confuse and bring ideas for the interest of their benefits.

During the last years, we have been sadly used to listen “opinions” (insults, defamations, fallacies, etc) from a lot of people, qualified or not, saying their mind, with a total lack of consideration and very often on the fringes of the truth. This resulted speech devaluation. Our politics, with their craving for power and yearning for wrecked their opponent, have contributed in an spectacular way.

In some TV channels, we can daily follow doubtful credibility debates. Hosts and members of a tertulia, with an arrogant attitude and nastiness faces, beat to a pulp everything that can create controversy and above all audience. The cultural level of our country, in the name of freedom of speech, admits this kind of gossip yet.

All information and opinion should transmit the value of the credibility, in other words, inform in a rigorous and objective way, without losing sight of truth. A real freedom of speech can only be possible when our society have achieved high educative and cultural level.

To finish, I would like to mention an ascribed anecdote to Socrates (a Greek philosopher from 5th century BC). It says: “A man addressed to the philosopher to explain him a gossip that he heard from a common friend. Socrates before to hear a word asked him: Are you sure that this rumor is true? What you want to tell me is positive? Is this information in any way useful for us? When the man answered him that he cannot be sure about the truth of this information, Socrates told him: Then shut up! If what you want to tell me is neither true, nor positive and nor useful, why should I know it?”

Let’s make the effort to reflect, to understand that freedom of speech is something deeper than a gossip, even if it is said in a TV set.
Wise you up to make culture present in our opinions!